Carroll College Athletics

The 2000-01 Carroll College men's basketball team set a school records in wins and earned the highest ranking in school history to date on their way to the third Frontier Conference championship in school history and a trip to the NAIA Tournament in Tulsa, Okla.  
 
J.D. Solomon was the first player in school history to earn First-Team All American honors after averaging 20.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.  Shane Gamradt earned Honorable Mention All-American Recognition after leading the nation in assists with 7.8 per game. Kirk Stiles was named first-team All-Conference and led the nation in Free throw percentage at 93 percent. Gary Lynch earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors.
 
The Saints finished second to Westminster in the regular season with a record of 10-2 in conference and 23-5 overall. Carroll opened the conference tournament against Rocky Mountain and punished the bears for the 84-66 win.
 
In the semifinals of the conference tournament, the Saints snuck by Montana Western on a dunk at the buzzer by Solomon. The final took place on the home court of Westminster and, although the Saints lost at Westminster during the regular season, they pulled out a 78-75 win in the championship game when Stiles stripped the ball away from Frontier Player of the Year Mitch Montgomery in the final seconds and nailed free throws to seal the victory.
 
The Saints fell to Oklahoma Baptist 72-69 in the first-round of the NAIA Tournament to close out a season but it was a memorable one for players, coaches and fans alike.